Best pro-business bank

Wells Fargo Bank Iowa

When it comes to choosing a bank for business needs, having access to the many services of a large financial institution can make a difference, which may be one of the reasons Business Record readers this year made Wells Fargo Bank Iowa their pick as the best pro-business bank.

“I think the reason Wells Fargo would rank high in that category is the breadth of our product line,” said H. Lynn Horak, the bank’s chairman and CEO. “It’s something a bank our size can offer that others can’t.”

Additionally, Horak said, commercial lending has always been a strength for Wells Fargo.

“We’ve managed to attract highly talented team members, so what (local clients) get with us is the capabilities of a Wells Fargo along with some of the best-trained people in the business,” he said.

Wells Fargo Bank operates approximately 20 banking offices in Greater Des Moines. The company has had a presence in the Des Moines area since 1897. Together with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Wells Fargo Financial and other subsidiaries, the company is an important economic force in its own right, employing nearly 10,000 people in Greater Des Moines, which makes it one of the state’s largest employers.

Runners-up: Commercial Federal Bank, West Bank

Best place to park your money

Wells Fargo Bank Iowa

High ratings by Moody’s Investors Service say a lot about the quality of Wells Fargo Bank Iowa’s operations, says H. Lynn Horak, its chairman and CEO. The bank was chosen by Des Moines Business Record readers as the “best place to park your money.”

Moody’s Investors Service in September 2003 upgraded Wells Fargo & Co.’s bank subsidiaries to Aaa, making Wells Fargo the only bank in the United States to currently hold that lofty status.

“I think people are always looking for quality,” Horak said. “I think the Aaa rating by Moody’s is one signal that this is a place people feel very comfortable about putting their money. And because of the breadth of Wells Fargo, we have more choices for wealth management. As a business person, I think you’re always looking for choices; it just gives you a better feeling about who you’ve selected to manage your money.”

The company’s diversified business model has delivered record growth, according to Dick Kovacevich, Wells Fargo & Co.’s chairman and CEO.

“Since our foray into financial services, we have built a diversified set of businesses designed to deliver quality products to our customers and consistent earnings to our stockholders, independent of the macro-economic environment,” he said.

Runners-up: Bankers Trust, West Bank

Best trucking company

Ruan

For the third consecutive year, Ruan has been named best trucking company by Business Record readers.

Formerly known as Ruan Transportation Management Systems, the Des Moines-based company shortened its name it sold its truck leasing business to Ryder Systems Inc. in March.

At a time when the transportation industry as a whole is particularly volatile, Ruan provides a high degree of reliability and consistency, said Mark Murfin, senior vice president for sales and marketing. An example is the “carrier of the year” award it received within the past year from one of its largest Iowa customers, Target Corp., for its support of the retailer’s Cedar Falls distribution center.

“We focus our resources to specific customer needs, and then we tailor it to that account,” he said. “It’s the customer relationships, and the uniqueness of what we provide to each customer.”

Founded by John Ruan more than 60 years ago as a coal-hauling company, the business grew to become one of the country’s largest privately owned contract carriage companies in terms of revenue, number of drivers and locations.

“We’re well on our way of replacing the revenue that was part of the unit sold to Ryder with new revenue to the company,” said Murfin. Though the company does not disclose financial details, sources estimate the company’s annual revenue at approximately $650 million. Ruan employs about 3,000 people.

Runners-up: Jacobson Transportation, TMC Transportation

Best airline

United Airlines

United Airline’s history at Des Moines International Airport reaches back to the airport’s very beginning. The first scheduled passenger flight from the airport, a single-engine biplane operated by United’s predecessor, Boeing Air Transport Co., departed on July 1, 1927. By the time Boeing Air Transport became United in a merger in 1931, the company was flying 18-seat tri-motor Boeing 80A aircraft, the first planes to use stewardesses, out of Des Moines.

Today, United operates 12 daily flights from Des Moines, nine of which are mainline flights with 120 seats per plane and three express flights using smaller regional jets. With its flights from Iowa’s capital to its Denver and Chicago hubs, the airline offers Des Moines travelers a gateway to 194 destinations in 24 countries and two U.S. territories with more than 3,500 scheduled daily departures.

In September, United will begin service to Des Moines with its 182-seat Boeing 757 aircraft.

Runners-up: America West Airlines, American Airlines

Best local delivery service

King Delivery Service

With more than 500 customers throughout Greater Des Moines, King Delivery Service remains focused on serving the people who have kept the company in business since 1922.

The family-owned company was named the best local delivery service in Des Moines for the third straight year by Business Record readers.

Floyd “Jim” King is the company’s second-generation owner, with third and fourth generations working under him.

Its constant attention to detail has given King Delivery the edge in Des Moines. The company remains in contact with its drivers through computer-aided dispatching and paging. It also uses computer-generated routing and mileage calculations in order to provide customers with accurate billing information.

And as a member of the Des Moines Better Business Bureau, King Delivery receives feedback on complaints through quarterly BBB reports, which it carefully reviews to determine areas that may need improvement.

RUNNER-UP: Priority Express Inc.

Best commercial printer

Acme Printing Co. Inc.

After more than 80 years in the commercial printing industry, Acme Printing Co. Inc. is incorporating changes in technology while still focusing on the basics, making it the best commercial printer in Des Moines for another year.

Acme Printing, located at 66 Washington Ave., employs 100 people and draws most of its business from advertising and insurance companies, but it also works with Des Moines businesses in a variety of industries. Owner Jerry Miller says his company is evolving along with the commercial printing industry through changes in technology. Through the years, the company has shifted from two-color printing to multicolor printing to digital printing.

“In the last year, we have put in digital color that is capable of doing color-variable data,” said Miller, who purchased the company in 1976. “That was our big expenditure for the year.” Approximately 70 percent of the company’s business involves the printing of multicolor marketing materials.

But with a long history in Greater Des Moines, Miller said, Acme Printing holds on to one business practice that remains unchanged.

“We try to meet and exceed (the customers’) expectations,” he said. “I constantly focus with the employees that we’re here to serve customers. That’s why we’re here.”

RUNNERS-UP: Action Print, Colorfx

Best air charter service

Exec 1 Aviation

Flight activity is growing at the Ankeny Regional Airport right along with the growth of the community, according to Jamie Schiltz, charter coordinator for Exec 1 Aviation, which is based out of that airport.

Exec 1 has four charter planes flying every day, sometimes two trips per day, Schiltz said. Along with being able to offer catered meals and rental cars for travelers flying in and out of Ankeny, Exec 1 appeals to people’s desires to save time and headaches that might come with using a commercial airport.

“We are so convenient for people to get around,” she said. “We have an excellent location right off of Interstate 35. This shortens people’s drive time to where they’re going. People who land in Des Moines have to drive all through town with the construction.”

Exec 1’s planes are used both by business and leisure travelers. It has a Beech King Air E-90, a pressurized plane with executive seating for up to eight, two Piper Navajos with seating for up to six and a single-engine Piper Lance for individual travelers or delivery services. Schiltz says all the chartered airplanes are “on a strict maintenance schedule,” with maintenance performed at the full-service shop on site.

Exec 1 is not only looking out for its passengers’ safety, but also their tight schedules. “The metro area is huge for corporate business,” Schlitz said. “They don’t have time to wait for connecting flights. They need to get their business done in a day or two, so the charter business is definitely growing.”

RUNNER-UP: Todd’s Flying Service Inc.

Best travel agency

International Travel Associates

Combine its history in Des Moines with its commanding reputation, and it’s clear to see why International Travel Associates has been named the best travel agency for the eighth year in a row.

International Travel Associates, a division of ITA Group Inc., was founded in 1963 by Rudy and Jerry Berg. Today, about 25 agents work for the company, according to Mary Phillips, a retail supervisor for International Travel Associates. More important than the number of agents, she says, are their qualifications. On average, the company’s agents have about 10 years of experience, she says.

Phillips said a majority of the agency’s bookings are for corporate travel, but it also has a strong client base of leisure travelers. International Travel has approximately 200 clients, most of them local. The travel industry has made a strong recovery, especially in the past year, Phillips said. It also helps that Des Moines is proving itself to be a good place to travel from, thanks in part to lower air fares.

Though the travel industry is having a good year, International Travel monitors its agent-to-client ratio to ensure quality customer service is achieved.

“We continue to grow,” Phillips said. “We try to grow it, but we also don’t grow it to the point where we can’t provide the personal customer attention.”

RUNNERS-UP: The Travel Center; A-1 Travel and Tours